Hooray! Is Bixby finally ready to get its own Voice?

A Samsung insider has reported that the company is preparing to launch the voice service for its AI assistant, Bixby, later this month.

Bixby was widely anticipated to be one of the more interesting features to debut in the Galaxy S8’s arsenal, though that promise turned out to be a damp squib when the assistant launched without the full prowess of voice support in tow.

The move was an unfortunate one for Samsung, given that its AI assistant reportedly had difficulty in learning the English language – however, the South Korean company could now be poised to rectify its mistake.

According to a Samsung insider, the chaebol is making preparations to launch Bixby’s long-awaited voice suit on the 18th of July – the report comes courtesy of a leaked notice to Samsung employees, wherein the company has offered webinar training to prepare its staff to support customers in the future.

Bixby has, since its debut aboard the Galaxy S8, been overshadowed by the silent killer in the room – Google Assistant. Given Bixby’s lack of voice support, many consumers might argue that the platform represents (at present) little more than an enhanced Flipboard briefing room.

Some of that frustration has been expressed by developers creating utilities that are capable of remapping the Galaxy S8’s dedicated Bixby button to trigger another function or app – though Samsung has been quick to update its software regularly and destroy this loophole from taking root.

What are your thoughts? Would you look forward to using Bixby in the future, or is your heart set on another AI helper, such as Google Assistant? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!